How Much Does IVF Cost? Average Cost of IVF, Payment Plans and Clinic Prices

Last Updated on November 30, 2020

Paying for IVF treatment can be challenging for many couples and individuals. The IVF expense is higher than people realize, which can leave someone scrambling for a way to pay for it. Still, the desire to conceive a child provides the motivation to find a way to bear the cost in the USA. But how much will it cost? Is the price worth it? What can you do in order to reduce these costs?

The answer to that is not entirely black and white. The cost of IVF is not the same for everyone. For some people it might have quick results, making it more affordable – whereas some people may have to wait more for those results, making it more expensive in the long term. In this article, you are about to find out how those prices differ.

How Much Does IVF Cost?

The national average cost of basic IVF treatment in the US, for a single round is between $12,000 and $15,000.

Here is average cost of one cycle basic IVF in states of the US.

But how does that breakdown and what goes into that cost?

Consult and Diagnosis Costs

Based on research and comparisons, the cost of a consultation and testing for infertility could cost you between $1,500 and $3,500, or more. If you need more tests than average, you’ll pay more than this. Also, if the test results come back incorrectly or you have to have more than one consult or need a second opinion, your costs could increase significantly.

IVF Consultation Costs. These costs will make more sense if you understand what is involved. During an infertility consultation, you’ll likely spend at least an hour and a half a the fertility clinic of your choice. You’ll likely interact with a physician, a nurse or egg donor, a counselor, and a billing or financing coordinator. Your physician will talk to you about your health, your history, and your desires for a family, before determining which tests you will have to take.

Depending on the physician’s orders, you might connect with a nurse who will discuss the process for collecting eggs and sperm. You may also meet with a billing or finance specialist at the clinic to talk about your payment options – before you make your final decision. This is a very good time to ask questions and get solid answers from the fertility clinic about their IVF costs, success rates, history, and other important things.

During your visit, it’s very likely that your physician will cover more than one treatment option. While IVF is common, others, like IUI, are also common. If you have your heart set on IVF, your physician may want to make sure you’re fully aware of the other treatments available and their success rates.

Testing Costs

Testing Costs. Some testing is done before IVF treatment begins, and much testing is done as part of the treatment. Before your physician determines if IVF is absolutely right for you, he or she will order some tests. These tests actually shed light on whether or not IVF has any chance of success, as well as what types of IVF are best for you. You’ll also discover your odds of success. That’s why the tests are necessary.

Not all clinics require the same tests. This is good news and bad news. The clinic you select may actually require more in IVF costs than other clinics due to certain tests or treatments. Ask if the tests are 100% necessary, and what the physician plans to do with the results.

Typical tests and associated costs:

• Semen analysis
• Hormone testing
• Uterine and fallopian tube X-rays
• Vaginal ultrasound
• Laparoscopy (No longer common)

The costs of these tests vary. Semen analysis can range from $50 to $200, while vaginal ultrasounds or laparoscopy can cost several thousands of dollars (upwards of $5,000).  >>Read more: Fertility test cost

Cost of Medications

Medications for IVF treatment can cost upwards of $6,000 – a range from at least $1,500 to $6,000. Medication is an important part of IVF. Your physician will prescribe medications that will prepare your ovaries to produce multiple viable eggs. Unfortunately, these medications come with a hefty price tag. This is why, on average, a couple can end up paying $20,000-$25,000 in order to conceive – and for each cycle, extra charges are added.

You should know that certain medications cost much more or less than others. In other words, you may actually have some options here, which is why you should have open, honest conversations with your fertility doctor.

Medications are used for a couple of reasons. First, you’ll need a medication to regulate – or restart – your cycle so that your fertility doctor can properly time everything. If you’ve ever had an irregular period before, you know how frustrating that can be when you’re trying to become pregnant.

Because of that, your doctor has to “reboot” your cycle using a drug. The most common one is called Lupron and it is an injectable. Lupron costs, on average, $500 per dose.

To prepare the ovaries and help them produce multiple, healthy eggs, you’ll most likely be given a prescription for a medication called . Most commonly, it is Clomid. Fertility specialists consider Clomid inexpensive, compared to the other IVF treatment costs. Clomid costs range from $10 to $100 per cycle with the average cost for a cycle being around $40. >>Read more: Fertility drugs cost

Treatment Costs

Your primary IVF costs are treatment costs. Depending on how many rounds of IVF you need, the costs will vary.

Single Round IVF Cost. According to the report, the national average cost of a single round of in vitro fertilization using fresh (not frozen) eggs and embryos costs about $10,000. Costs vary based on a number of things, including the type of IVF used and the diagnosis (because the underlying fertility issue impacts available treatment options).

A “round” of IVF includes the four primary steps: ovulation, retrieving the eggs, fertilizing the eggs, and transferring the embryo(s) into the uterus.

Each time you go through that process, you’re completing a round. Many times, it takes more than one round of IVF to get pregnant, which ultimately impacts the overall IVF cost.

Multiple Round IVF Cost. Often, a fertility clinic will provide a discount for multiple rounds of IVF. For example, one particular clinic offers a discount plan that results in around 40% savings than just paying for one round at a time. For most people, a multi-round plan is the best option for becoming pregnant. Three cycles can add to as much as $33,000.

Why Do IVF Costs Vary?

The answer to that is fairly simple: not everyone is the same. Each person has different physical requirements and may need a different IVF course. No IVF treatment is equal, which is why it is not uncommon for various costs to be applied.

The basic IVF is a baseline for the IVF procedure. However, depending on the genetic issue or fertility problems that you may have, you might need a completely different IVF journey compared to other people. For instance, if a couple is carrying a certain genetic disorder, they might turn to IVF to ensure the baby will not be born with the same gene.

In this case, the IVF process will also involve screening and PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis), which will test for the existence of that gene. Needless to say, that will add even more to the basic costs. This is only one special circumstance that might make the costs of IVF to vary.

If you choose to go for a surrogate or a sperm donor, this might also cause the price to bounce up significantly. Freezing your eggs so that you may use them later on could also greatly influence the price.

The costs of IVF might also vary based on the clinic that you are going to. Some clinics may have higher prices – whereas others offer better “bargains,” as they are called. It is not entirely possible to determine how much an IVF cycle will cost, mainly because there are too many factors at stake. The only thing we can get is an average price.

It is crucial that you understand your goals, budget, and boundaries before going for IVF. Be prepared for extra costs, and talk with your fertility specialist about what might influence these costs further.

Additional Costs that Can Be Associated with IVF Cycles

When determining the IVF cost, you need to bear in mind that some extra procedures might add to the basic package cost. Talk with your fertility specialist, and determine whether you need the following or not:

• Egg Donation

Some women cannot get pregnant simply because they no longer have any viable eggs – or if they have, those eggs are compromised. In this case, the doctor might recommend that you use an egg donor since it will give you a higher chance of getting pregnant.

At the same time, the costs of egg donation are among the highest ones associated with IVF. These costs can be as low as $25,000 and as high as $30,000 – which is why it is only chosen if there is no option left.

• Sperm Donor

If the fertility problem comes from the male in the couple, then you might want to go for sperm donation. Using a sperm donor is not as expensive as using an egg donor – but it might still kick up the costs anything from $200 to $3,000. It can lead up to anything from $12,000 to $17,000 per IVF cycle.

• Embryo Donation

As surprising as it might seem, embryo donations are perhaps among the least expensive options to go for. It can be even cheaper than the average IVF treatment, mostly because the person in cause does not have to go through so many complicated treatments.

To put it in terms of cash, an embryo cycle can cost someone anything from $5,000 to $7,000. This is only in the circumstance that the embryo has been created already. If you choose a sperm donor and an egg donor to match for your specific cycle, then it might get quite expensive.

• ICIS Treatment

ICIS (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) is a technique that involves directly injecting one sperm cell into the egg. This procedure aims to tackle one major problem: male infertility.

With normal IVF, the sperm is left to fertilize the egg naturally – whichever manages to push through first. However, when the sperm count is extremely low, this procedure will allow the egg to fertilize without wasting any sperm.

This treatment usually shows great success for couples that cannot get pregnant using standard IVF treatments, with the basic package. However, it can raise the price tag with quite a decent sum. Generally speaking, IVF can cost you anything from $1,400 to $2,000 in the USA.

• Blastocyst Culture

The blastocyst culture is a technique in which an embryo is being cultured in a lab for an extended amount of time. Usually, an embryo that is not implanted after 3 days will go through a freezing process – to preserve the egg for later.

However, in some cases, the embryo continues to be cultured outside the womb for 5 days. These two days will cause 30-40% of the embryos to develop into formations called “blastocysts.” To put it in simple terms, blastocysts are embryos that have matured more.

Many doctors prefer to implant blastocysts, due to the fact that they can better analyze the embryo. They can get a better image of the strength of a particular embryo, and they can decide which one is more suitable for transfer. By waiting for two more days, they will be able to see which embryo is most likely to implant in the uterus.

For this technique to be done, the patient must have at least 4 fertilized eggs that have reached normal development by day 3. Normally, clinics won’t charge for blastocyst culture, as they prefer to do it themselves to be certain of the success. However, there will still be some clinics that will charge for a fee as low as $175.

• Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis & screening (PGD/PGS)

In some cases, parents with certain genetic disorders may be at risk of passing the condition to the child as well. However, the PGD/PGS test is a genetic screening that will detect any chromosomal disorders or genetic diseases before the embryo is even implanted.

Patients who are known to be carriers of certain conditions may choose to take the risk away by using the PGD/PGS test. This way, they will ensure that the transferred embryo will grow up to be a healthy baby.

The PGD/PGS test can also determine the gender of the baby before the embryo is even implanted – so, if a couple wishes to have a boy or a girl, they may choose to implant a certain embryo. On average, this procedure may cost patients an extra $4,000-7,500 extra to the main costs of the IVF procedure.

• Embryo Freezing

More often than not, during the first IVF cycle, there will be more than one embryo created – other than the ones that have already been implanted. If a patient ends up with extra embryos, they may choose embryo freezing in an attempt to preserve the embryos for the future. This is also done to mitigate any ethical or moral hesitations that are associated with the disposal of embryos.

Couples who do not want to undergo IVF again may choose to donate the remaining embryo. The survival rate of embryos through the freezing process is 90%, and the average cost for freezing the embryo is $2,000.

• Frozen Embryo Storage

A frozen embryo will need some place to live – and one can’t really just throw it in their home freezer. For the egg to remain viable, it must be stored in correct conditions – which is in a lab. Most fertility clinics will provide storage for those who need it, and the price is around $350-$1,000 per year.

• Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)

A woman who chooses to freeze her embryos after a “fresh” IVF cycle can use them in a subsequent FET cycle. Using a frozen embryo in IVF cycles is usually cheaper, taking about $2,000 off the price of a fresh cycle.

• Sperm Freezing

If a man is at risk of infertility, they may opt for sperm freezing – also referred to as “sperm banking” – as a method of conceiving a child. On average, the costs of sperm collection, followed by freezing and storage will cost you less than $1 per day. Here, the initial screening, banking as well as cataloging the procedure will cost you $550 – with the additional specimens that were banked costing you $300 (including one year’s worth of storage).

Estimate IVF Cost In USA Using a Calculator

The Internet makes it fairly easy to get a roundabout IVF cost estimate. You can use an IVF Cost Calculator to help you better understand how much IVF cost, and play with a variety of options.

Our IVF Cost Calculator has a walkthrough, step-by-step calculator online. Use this free calculator and find out how much it will cost in USA. It can estimate one cycle IVF cost and two IVF cycle cost including donor, surrogate, FET, ICSI, PGD/PGS and freeze embryos cost in person options.

Does Insurance Pay for IVF Costs?

Before you panic over the prices, bear in mind that there are cases in which you can obtain coverage for the IVF costs. Granted, you can’t get it everywhere – and in most cases, the insurance is only partial.

Still, there are some states in the USA where you may be entitled to coverage – at least 17 of them. Here are the following states where you may certainly get coverage by 2020:

• Arkansas
• California
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Ohio
• Rhode Island
• Texas
• West Virginia

Each of these states will provide a certain degree of coverage for IVF treatments – but it will vary greatly depending on the state. Even if your state does not provide general coverage, you might still be eligible for insurance as an extension to a certain diagnosis.

Either way, your insurance provider (or employer) should be able to give you your coverage information and will tell you in which category you fall:

1. No infertility coverage
2. Infertility diagnosis that has received insurance coverage
3. Infertility diagnosis and limited treatment that has been covered by insurance
4. Full infertility treatments that have been covered by insurance
5. Insurance that only covers the medication – which may or may not include infertility drugs

Depending on the category that you were sent in, you may receive a certain amount of coverage. However, unless you receive full coverage, you will be required to cover the rest of the expenses out of your own pockets. If your partner also has male fertility issues, it may add to the sum – providing greater coverage.

Fertility Clinics Payment Plans for IVF

Many fertility clinics offer a variety of payment arrangements that you can choose from. This particular option works best for people who can pay for the treatment out of pocket, even if it means paying a little bit at a time. There are some payment plans  of the fertility clinics in the USA.

—- Zouves Fertility Center (Foster City, CA)

Egg Freezing Plans

IVF Services

IVF Option Plan

IVF Financial Assistance Plan

Male factor

—- Pacific Fertility Center (San Francisco, CA)

Services covered in this plan include monitoring ultra sound and blood tests. Plus, anesthesia, 1 egg retrieval procedure and 1 embryo transfer procedure are also included.

IVF Refund Plan

This plan is for women for whom IVF is medically indicated. It is applicable to ovum donation but not gestational carriers. Pricing is as follows:

REFUND: *80%, **70%

—- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (Lone Tree, CO)

Here is a look at an in vitro cycle expenses at CCRM. These cost are only applicable to Colorado location:

Cost breakdown for donor egg cycle is:

Other services price at CCRM include:

—- CNY Fertility Center (Syracuse, NY)

Affordable IVF Cycles Pricing

IUI pricing

Fresh Egg Donor IVF Cycle Pricing

Banked Eggs Donor IVF Cycle Pricing

Embryo Donation Cycle Pricing

• Embryo Donation Fee is $3,000

Price includes 3 to 6 frozen embryos. Also included are oocyte and sperm donor testing.

Fertility Preservation Pricing

—- Wisconsin Fertility Institute (Middleton, WI)

IUI and IVF prices

IVF Advantage Program

• IVF prime advantage program includes one egg retrieval and up to 2 transfers. The program costs $14,900.
• IVF ultimate advantage program includes 3 egg retrievals and all subsequent frozen embryo transfers. There is a 50% refund if patients do not conceive successfully during the program. This program spends $28,900.

—- Washington Fertility Center (Annandale, VA)

These services do not include any charges for lab services or diagnostic testing. Medication costs or anesthesia fee are also not covered.

IVF Baby Guarantee $19,900
Egg Donation Baby Guarantee $29,900

—- IVFMD (Irving, TX)

IUI Costs at IVFMD

IUI Cycle Costs

Donor Egg Services Costs

• Known donors– approximate total can come up to $12,800
• IVFMD donors– approximate total can be around $20,200
• Agency donors– approximate total can be around $24, 400

Conclusion

So, on average, for a single round of treatment, the IVF cost could be between $12,000 and $15,000 in the USA. It could be lower for you, depending on the success rate you’re willing to accept and the type of IVF you need or want to use.

Keeping in mind that, usually, more than one round of IVF is needed for pregnancy, factor in details regarding your circumstances – such as whether you need donor eggs or not, or whether you’ll be using a surrogate or not. These differences can equate to thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. Most fertility clinics have a billing or finance specialist you can meet with to discuss your needs. For best financial results, keep your options open, be creative, and use all the IVF financing you have. Read on in our articles: insurance coverage, IVF loans, low cost IVF, IVF grants, free IVF to learn about good ways to cover your IVF cost.

Reports for IVF Cost, Insurance and Financing in State of the US